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Real Estate Investors and Emotional Support Animals

Many of you investors have rental properties, but are not currently following my Landlord-Tenant blog. Please sign up for that one, also. In the near future, I will stop posting landlord-tenant issues on this blog, which is for investing. You can sign up for my other blog, HERE.

In the landlord-tenant context, we generally recognize that someone who is blind, or who has mobility problems, might require a dog to help them in life’s activities. We also generally know that even if we have a “no pets” policy, or require a pet deposit or pet fees, these rules do not apply to someone who is disabled. They do not have a pet. They have a Service Animal, which is entirely different.

The problems we are starting to see with landlords and disabilities is in the area of Emotional Support Animals. Someone who has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or other emotional or mental challenges, might need a particular animal to help with their emotional or mental disabilities. Under the Fair Housing Laws, you must honor reasonable accommodation requests by someone who is disabled, and who wishes to keep an Emotional Support Animal to assist with their disability.

For guidance on what you can, and cannot, do and say, please download my advice, HERE. It is an excerpt (advertisement coming next!) from the 2nd edition of my book, Alabama Landlord’s Desk Reference. For more information, and to read the table of contents and the index, click HERE.